<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/sherpa-property-group">Sherpa Group</a> has unveiled its exclusive penthouse collection at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/amargo-6-12-sixth-avenue-palm-beach-qld-4221">Amargo</a>, its new apartment development in Palm Beach.

There are just four penthouses as part of the collection, however only three remain for sale, with a Palm Beach local already snapping up one of the apartments prior to its launch.

&nbsp;

“We are thrilled to unveil the debut penthouses within the Flourish story,” said Christie Leet, founder of Sherpa Group.

“The penthouses epitomise unparalleled luxury and contemporary elegance, offering an exclusive experience in modern living.”

[smartcode_project:default project_id=146527 project_image_fid=362273]

Located at 6-12 Sixth Avenue, the penthouses will crown Amargo, which will rise 18 levels and offer a diverse product mix of one, two, and three-bedroom apartments, attracting a wide demographic of buyers.&nbsp;

“Creating a multigenerational community is core for us at Sherpa," Leet added.

"Amargo embodies this ethos, welcoming first-home buyers, families and right-sizers alike – ensuring everyone has the opportunity to thrive.”

&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=146527 project_image_fid=362271]

The penthouses, which range in price from just over $3 million to $4.6 million, each have three bedrooms, three bathrooms, and extensive balconies. Select penthouses will have&nbsp;dedicated media rooms. They have four-metre-high ceilings, Gaggenau appliances, and natural stone materials.

Flourish is crowned by an&nbsp;800 sqm rooftop retreat with a&nbsp;pool, pool deck cabanas and day beds, private outdoor barbecues and pizza oven, an internal private dining space, as well as a gym, yoga zones, steam rooms, and hot and cold magnesium pools.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=146527 project_image_fid=306037]

“We’re really excited about what we’re delivering here- Flourish is more than just apartments; it’s about creating a place where people feel truly at home,” Leet said.

Construction is already well underway on Amargo, with residents expected to move in by Q2 2027. The project is around 85 per cent sold.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=146527]

Joel Robinson

A first look inside Flourish penthouse collection at Palm Beach

Builder-developer Urban Property Group (UPG) is continuing to expand into new markets. UPG is heading to the Hills District, where it is planning a 40-storey mixed use building near Castle Hill Metro Station.

They've gone down the favoured developer route of a State Significant Development Application, which should see developments approved within the space of nine months.

The tower will comprise 371 apartments, 42 of which will be affordable housing, above a ground-floor retail precinct at 16-20 Old Castle Hill Road, on the corner of Garthowen Crescent and within walking distance of Castle Hill Metro Station, an area identified for higher density under both local and state strategic planning frameworks.

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/studiosc">Studio SC</a>, the tower would rise from a brick podium base, accommodating one retail tenancy and communal open space, before transitioning to a slender glazed residential form above. Six basement levels are proposed beneath the building to house parking and services.

<img alt="First Look: Urban Property unveils 40-storey mixed-use tower in Castle Hill with 371 homes and affordable housing component" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="08dc82f9-b826-4e18-8c60-4c90f7472317" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Appendix%20G%20%28b%29%20-%20Ground%20level%20render.jpg?VersionId=EOv1ly45k_Bc1F73C0hdwXSG4FVSTETt" />

“Castle Hill is undergoing a significant transformation, evolving from a traditionally low-rise suburban centre into a true metropolitan destination anchored by the Sydney Metro Northwest," the Architectural Design Report prepared by Studio SC noted.

The majority of apartments (194) will be two-bedrooms. 90 one-bedroom apartments are planned, 83 three-beds, and four four-bedroom apartments.

Studio SC’s design adopts a podium-and-tower composition, with warm-toned masonry at the lower levels intended to anchor the building within its streetscape context.

"At the podium, the architecture is anchored through solid brickwork in warm, earthy tones, reflecting the local sandstone formations and the natural colour palette of the surrounding hills," Studio SC added.

Above, the tower transitions to a lighter glass expression, articulated with fins and tonal variation to reduce visual bulk and respond to changing light conditions.

<img alt="First Look: Urban Property unveils 40-storey mixed-use tower in Castle Hill with 371 homes and affordable housing component" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="f13cb2ee-ebfc-4204-9aba-e2dbd9e5d4bd" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Appendix%20G%20%28a%29%20-%20Pool%20view.jpg?VersionId=Dnpusa.b5d6Nkx2clPlzWosDdh_1QW2V" />

Urban Property Group is one of Sydney's most active developers. They have projects currently under construction in Little Bay, Penrith, and Macquarie Park, with future projects earmarked for Wollongong.

Castle Hill has been one of the most popular suburbs for development across Sydney in the last five years, as developers scramble for land around the newly extended Sydney Metro.&nbsp;

Kassis Homes kicked it all off with Grand Reve, along with Deicorp who has delivered over 1,000 apartments in the area and continues to develop. The likes of Dubai-backed developer Arada will take to market their project in the coming months, while Masscon has just launched Avenue on Cadman Crescent.

First Look: Urban Property Group unveils 40-storey mixed-use tower in Castle Hill

One of the Gold Coast’s ‘bridesmaid suburbs’ is experiencing a wave of local suitors, with the latest sales figures from <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/harbour-shores-biggera-waters-564-oxley-drive-biggera-waters-qld-4216">Harbour Shores</a> revealing over two thirds of buyers will be relocating from within a 5km average radius of the 16-hectare masterplan.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/lewis-land-group">Lewis Land</a> Head of Development Michael Long said the figures underlined a powerful shift for Biggera Waters that would reshape it into a thriving force behind the region’s growth corridor.&nbsp;

“We’ve seen a huge wave of interest from residents of Arundel, Paradise Point and Runaway Bay who recognise the urban transformation that is well underway here and want to be part of it,” Long said.&nbsp;

“Interestingly, 25 per cent of our Gold Coast buyers are also coming from the city’s southern hotspots, including Burleigh and Palm Beach.&nbsp;

“<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/biggera-waters-qld-4216">Biggera Waters</a>, and Harbour Shores in particular, has all the advantages of waterfront living with the benefits of resort-style amenity, for greater value than the southern beachfront suburbs.”&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=113271 project_image_fid=290031]

Long said half of the purchasers at Harbour Shores were under the age of 55.&nbsp;

“When locals choose to stay local, it creates a genuine community, turning the most sustainable master planned community in the Gold Coast’s history into a diverse and vibrant ‘village of villages’.”&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=113271 project_image_fid=336743]

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/project-marketer/colliers">Colliers</a> Gold Coast Sales Director David Higgins said the hyper-local market demand was unique to Harbour Shores when compared to other projects in the region.&nbsp;

“We are seeing as much as 60 per cent of new apartment sales on other projects go to interstate or international buyers, but Harbour Shores is bucking this trend and attracting a larger proportion of the local market,” Higgins said.&nbsp;

“Only 13 per cent of Harbour Shores’ existing purchasers are interstate. There has been a resounding endorsement from local buyers and that validates the project’s vision and investment in design, lifestyle and liveability.”&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=113271 project_image_fid=4579]

Harbour Shores is 16ha visionary masterplan dedicated to wellness and an active, healthy lifestyle. Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/bda-architecture">BDA Architecture</a>, Harbour Shores embeds extensive green connections and more than 2.5km in pedestrian networks – including a 1.2km boardwalk along the water’s edge.

Harbour Shores was recently recognised by the BETTER FUTURE World Design Awards 2026 as a silver winner in the category of environmental sustainability. Boasting a 6 Star Green Star Communities V1.1 rating, Harbour Shores will deliver more than 2,000 homes over the next ten years.&nbsp;

The first stage will deliver three residential collections including luxury three and four-bedroom waterfront villas at The Residences, as well as apartments in The Waterline and Palm House, surrounded by resort-style amenities.&nbsp;

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=113271]

Biggera Waters no longer a 'bridesmaid suburb' as Gold Coast locals jump to Harbour Shores

Developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/ellipse-property-group">Ellipse Property</a> has officially launched Lily Lane, the second stage of its Carrington Place masterplan in Sydney’s North-West. The new stage will deliver over 200 apartments to the sought-after Hills District, supported by new retail and resident amenity.&nbsp;

Located near the Hills Showground Metro Station at 32 Carrington Road, Castle Hill, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/lily-lane-at-carrington-place-castle-hill-32-carrington-road-castle-hill-nsw-2154">Lily Lane</a> has launched with the release of 105 apartments.

Designed by award-winning architects <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/ptw">PTW</a>, Lily Lane comprises a combined total of 213 units over two 12-storey towers anchored by a ground-floor retail offering. A range of floorplan configurations are available including 67 one-bedroom, 100 two-bedroom and 46 three-bedroom apartments.

One-bedroom apartments are sized from 50-72 sqm with prices starting at $720,000, while two-bedrooms are priced from $960,000 with sizes ranging from 75 to 132 sqm. The three-bedroom floorplans are sized between 97 and 182 sqm, with prices starting at $1,350,000.&nbsp;

Six exclusive penthouses crown the Lily Lane towers, offering opulent interiors of up to 285 sqm. They are priced from $2.9 million.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=151821 project_image_fid=360285]

Blake Schulze, National Director – Residential at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/project-marketer/colliers">Colliers</a>, says Lily Lane builds on the sell-out success of Carrington Place’s first stage, Atrium.&nbsp;

“Lily Lane offers everything north-west buyers are seeking - including spacious, flexible floorplans with premium finishes and sweeping views of the Hills District to the north," Schulze said.

"Its central location brings residents even closer to Hills Showground Metro Station, with retail, dining, recreation and essential services at their fingertips.

Schulze says early enquiries reflect pent-up demand for Lily Lane’s three-bedroom and penthouse apartments, reinforcing the appetite for house-sized units in <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/castle-hill-nsw-2154">Castle Hill</a>,&nbsp;especially among downsizers.

Lily Lane has sought to incorporate features that are more&nbsp;traditional in freestanding homes. Over 75 per cent of residences include dedicated studies, multipurpose rooms or family rooms, with select layouts offering walk-in pantries and laundries.

Buyers have two interior colour schemes to choose from. ‘Breeze’ is a light-toned palette with warm timber accents, and ‘Dawn’ is a cooler mid-toned colourway.&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=151821 project_image_fid=360572]

Apartments also feature premium Miele appliances, including ovens, washing machines, dryers, gas cooktops and dishwashers. Larger homes offer integrated Miele microwaves, Fisher &amp; Paykel integrated refrigerators and five-burner Miele cooktops.

Lily Lane’s ‘village-style’ architectural design is designed to maximise walkability and access to green space. Its two elegant towers are separated by a central landscaped laneway lined with lily plants, giving the project its name.&nbsp;

The towers will be crowned by rooftop terraces with BBQ areas offering views of the Hills District. Residents can also access a shared community room, complete with a fully equipped kitchen.

“As the gateway to the wider Carrington Place masterplan, this new stage delivers a premium experience,"&nbsp;said Puja Khanna, Associate Director – Design, Marketing and Sales at Ellipse Property.

"It features beautifully curated landscaping, refined interiors and architecture designed to maximise space, light and views. With a supermarket and essential services just minutes away, the addition of Lily Lane’s ground-floor retail will elevate everyday convenience and deliver a vibrant precinct for residents.”

[smartcode_project:default project_id=151821 project_image_fid=360286]

Lily Lane will be constructed by award-winning iCIRT-rated builder Decode Group, with construction to commence in mid-2026 and expected to complete early 2029.

Carrington Place comprises more than 800 apartments and is being delivered across multiple stages. Completion of the masterplan is expected in 2032. Integrated with neighbouring bushland, the project will feature over 20,000 square metres of outdoor recreational area, including a one-kilometre boardwalk to the nearby Fred Caterson Reserve.&nbsp;

The Hills Showground Metro Station is just a two-minute walk away, offering fast connectivity to Sydney’s CBD, North Sydney, Chatswood, Macquarie Park and Norwest Business Park.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=151821]

Ellipse launches Lily Lane, stage two of Carrington Place

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/one-global-capital">One Global Capital</a>, a Sydney-based global property development and investment firm, is set to transform a 1.4-hectare site in Five Dock into a $1.5 billion mixed-use precinct.

The integrated precinct is planned to include 750 apartments across five residential towers, a 150-key hotel, around 10,000 sqm of retail and lifestyle space, as well as health and wellness facilities, extensive landscaped open space, and community amenities.

Planning approval submission is targeted for June 2026.

One Global Capital Founder Iwan Sunito told Apartments.com.au that the Five Dock site, which he has owned for over two decades, is one of the best he's ever had.

"I probably hadn't appreciated the uniqueness of the site until more recently when putting together the concept plans," Sunito says.

"The proximity to the water, and the golf course opposite, is unlike any other part of Parramatta Road. We have a unique position and view corridors over the water that makes this one of the best sites I've worked on."

<img alt="Urban renewal in Five Dock via mixed-use precinct" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="76667592-c421-49f5-9ab8-45cfec815651" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Five%20Dock%201.png?VersionId=puhL_lSxd5IB5VA9fQKPsKHgmkinuwuI" />

Sunito said he wants to create a "city within a city", designing a multi-cultural precinct with the convenience of retail and public space at the forefront.

"We want to create a development that's not only to be seen, but to be experienced by the whole local community."

He adds that the Five Dock is emerging into a "really solid suburb", with the growth in&nbsp;the area continuing to be supported by rising residential values across the Canada Bay and Leichhardt local government areas, driven by major infrastructure investment and enhanced transport connectivity.&nbsp;

The new precinct will benefit from close proximity to a key transport network, including the Five Dock Metro Station, located approximately 1.1 kilometres from the site. The new Burwood Metro stop will be just 800m.

The project marks a renewed collaboration between Sunito and internationally acclaimed architect <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/koichi-takada-architects">Koichi Takada</a>, the creative partnership behind some of Sydney’s most recognisable residential landmarks, &nbsp;including Infinity, Arc, and Skye North Sydney.&nbsp;

<img alt="Urban renewal in Five Dock via mixed-use precinct" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="a9184a45-f429-4628-87ce-9bd6c70cb597" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Five%20Dock%202.png?VersionId=zJZRfLAZCkpww5VcmR_wgRXjoaSgPSyv" />

“The concept for this development is born from our design approach to naturalising architecture," Koichi Takada said.

"The public realm benefits from biophilic design that integrates generous landscaping, and the development is optimised &nbsp;for natural daylight, airflow and water views to foster wellbeing, sustainability and spaces that foster community interaction."

A key feature of the mixed-use development will be a lifestyle retail precinct, offering shopping and dining &nbsp;experiences - including a proposed state-of-the-art car showroom - as well as communal spaces for community &nbsp;use. Veteran retail and commercial property practitioner, Simon McTigue, has been engaged to consult on the &nbsp;delivery and leasing of the retail precinct, having previously worked on notable mixed-use projects such as East &nbsp;Village Shopping Centre in Zetland and South Village Shopping Centre Kirrawee, as well as other projects with &nbsp;Iwan Sunito in Green Square and Parramatta, to name a few.&nbsp;

“The Five Dock site offers a unique opportunity for retailers, conveniently located within easy walking distance &nbsp;of the metro station. On completion, the integrated precinct will provide the community with a new Inner West &nbsp;town centre, offering daily convenience via a proposed large format supermarket and fresh food precinct, as well &nbsp;as a restaurant and café district situated alongside key services such as a medical and health centre. It will be a &nbsp;place to live, work and play,” said Simon McTigue, Director of Wallaringa Consulting.&nbsp;

Samuel Sunito, Director of Capital at One Global Capital, confirmed strong inbound interest from both domestic and global investors seeking co-investment opportunities in the project. “We are currently engaging with &nbsp;investors both locally but also globally from Indonesia, the United States, China, Singapore, Vietnam, and Dubai &nbsp;to ensure alignment of vision and long-term value creation,” he said.&nbsp;

Investment participation will remain open until approximately Q2 2026, with equity allocations managed selectively.&nbsp;

“Equity available to the broader market will be limited, with priority given to long-standing capital partners. In terms of One Global Capital’s investment philosophy, we will continue to retain majority ownership, ensuring &nbsp;strong alignment of interests and preserving the long-term integrity of the project for all stakeholders,” Samuel &nbsp;said.

"A city within a city": Iwan Sunito flags $1.5 billion mixed-use precinct in Five Dock

Internet

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With #StayAtHome and social distancing now becoming a way of life, an increasing number of people are relying on the internet for work, education and entertainment.
This has placed greater demand on our network infrastructure, reducing the <a href="https://www.nbnco.com.au/utility/glossary-of-terms" target="_blank">bandwidth</a> available for each user, and is leaving people frustrated at seemingly slow internet speeds.
While internet service providers such as TPG or Telstra may not be able to instantly respond to these changes, there are a few tricks you can use to boost your home internet’s speed.
<h2>Why is your internet slow?</h2>
There may be many reasons why your internet speed is slow. Internet use requires a reliable connection between your device and the destination, which may be a server that is physically located on the other side of the world.
Your connection to that server could pass through <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_to_live" target="_blank">hundreds</a> of devices on its journey. Each one of these is a potential failure, or weak point. If one point along this path isn’t functioning optimally, this can significantly affect your internet experience.
Web servers in particular are often affected by external factors, including <a href="https://theconversation.com/from-botnet-to-malware-a-guide-to-decoding-cybersecurity-buzzwords-77958" target="_blank">Denial of Service (DOS)</a> attacks, wherein an overload of traffic causes congestion in the server, and impedes proper functioning.
While you may not have control over these things from your home network, that doesn’t mean you don’t have options to improve your internet speed.
<h2>Wifi signal boost</h2>
The <a href="https://kb.netgear.com/235/What-is-a-wireless-access-point" target="_blank">access point</a> (wireless router) in your home network is used to connect your devices to your internet service provider. Most access points provide a wireless signal with limited channels, which can suffer interference from nearby signals, like your neighbour’s. A “channel” is a kind of virtual “pipe” through which data is transferred.
Although your devices are designed to avoid interference by switching channels automatically (there are usually 14 available), it may help to check your router settings, as some are set to a single channel by default. When trying different options to reduce interference, it’s advisable to select <a href="https://www.metageek.com/training/resources/why-channels-1-6-11" target="_blank">channels 1, 6 or 11</a> as they can help to minimise problems (for 2.4GHz wireless).
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/324761/original/file-20200401-23130-molfs4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/324761/original/file-20200401-23130-molfs4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
This diagram shows the frequency and channel distribution for 2.4GHz. <a class="source" href="https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/344491/an-update-on-creative-commons-licensing?cb=1" target="_blank">Rob/Stack Exchange</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/" target="_blank">CC BY-SA</a>
<h2>What else can you do?</h2>
There are further things you can try to improve your wifi signal. If your router supports 5GHz wifi signals, <a href="https://www.techadvisor.co.uk/how-to/network-wifi/how-change-wi-fi-channel-3325316/" target="_blank">switching to this</a> can provide a faster data rate, but over shorter distances. Reposition your router for best coverage (usually a central position).
The difference between 2.4GHz and 5GHz wifi signals is they have different data transmission speeds. While 5GHz can transfer data faster (with 23 available channels), 2.4GHz provides a wider range. If you want speed, go for 5GHz. For better coverage, choose 2.4GHz.
Some domestic appliances can cause interference with your router. It’s worth checking if using your microwave oven, cordless phone or baby monitor affects your connection, as they may be using the same frequency as your router.
Using a <a href="https://www.pcmag.com/news/wireless-witch-how-to-place-a-wireless-extender" target="_blank">wifi extender</a> can help with coverage by boosting or extending the signal.
<h2>Viruses and malware</h2>
To avoid computer viruses, make sure you regularly check for updates on your devices and use antivirus software. It’s also worth rebooting your router to clear specific malware (malicious software designed to damage your device or server), such as <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-actions-disrupt-advanced-persistent-threat-28-botnet-infected" target="_blank">VPNFilter</a> – a malware that <a href="https://blog.malwarebytes.com/cybercrime/2018/06/vpnfilter-malware-still-making-waves/" target="_blank">infects more than half a million routers</a> in more than 50 countries.
You should also check the following:
<ul>
<li>
does your router need to be replaced with a newer model? This may be the case if it has been used for many years. Newer models support enhanced functions and faster internet speeds
</li>
<li>
is the <a href="https://techterms.com/definition/firmware" target="_blank">firmware</a> of your wireless router <a href="https://windowsreport.com/update-router-firmware/" target="_blank">updated</a>? You can do this by visiting the device manufacturer’s website. This will help fix problems and allow additional functionality. It’s unlikely this update is done automatically.
</li>
</ul>
<h2>Planning your internet usage</h2>
If multiple people are streaming video at your home, which often requires <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/mar/13/covid-19-could-cause-permanent-shift-towards-home-working" target="_blank">ten times the daytime demand</a>, a limited internet connection will soon be fully used.
Try to plan your and family members’ online activities around peak times. Before the pandemic hit, most internet usage was likely oriented around the early evenings, after close of business. With the shift to remote working and schooling, more internet access is likely during the day, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/mar/13/covid-19-could-cause-permanent-shift-towards-home-working" target="_blank">with a 10% usage increase overall, and a 30% increase at peak times</a>.
Outside your home, connectivity is likely to be on a “best effort” plan, which shares a fixed bandwidth with other users. In other words, your mobile internet bandwidth is shared with others in your area when they access the internet at the same time. A shared bandwidth results in slower individual speeds.
You can’t control how many people access the internet, but you can manage your own internet activity by downloading large files or content overnight, or outside of peak hours (when there is less traffic).
<h2>How to improve your ISP’s network issues</h2>
While you can try to fix issues and optimise the setup inside your home, unfortunately you can’t really influence network performance outside of it. Thus, contacting your internet service provider’s call centre and seeking support is your best option.
All of the above considered, it’s important to remember that when using the internet, we’re sharing a limited resource. Just like buying pasta or toilet paper, there are many who need it just as much as you, so use it wisely.
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/james-jin-kang-903030" target="_blank">James Jin Kang</a>, Lecturer, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/edith-cowan-university-720" target="_blank">Edith Cowan University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/paul-haskell-dowland-382903" target="_blank">Paul Haskell-Dowland</a>, Associate Dean (Computing and Security), <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/edith-cowan-university-720" target="_blank">Edith Cowan University</a>
This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-boost-your-internet-speed-when-everyone-is-working-from-home-135313" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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j.ballantyne1990-6AQqhLzZaK

How to boost your internet speed when everyone is working from home 

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EXPERT OBSERVATION
Lack of speed kills: finally NBN Co is thinking about a genuinely 21st century offering for customers. 
Last week NBN Co <a href="https://www2.nbnco.com.au/corporate-information/media-centre/media-statements/nbn-co-proposes-big-discounts-to-wholesale-prices" target="_blank">announced pricing changes</a> for the National Broadband Network.
It includes a new plan boasting a download speed of 1 gigabit per second and an upload speed of 50 megabits per second for $80 a month.
These are 20-fold improvements on the maximum NBN speeds now. Almost a decade since the first customers were connected, NBN Co is thinking about a genuinely 21st century offering in terms of speed and price.
The NBN is late, over budget and slow. <a href="https://www.speedtest.net/global-index" target="_blank">Australia places 58th globally</a> for fixed-line broadband speed. Not only do the NBN’s advertised speeds lag international standards but the actual speeds often don’t come close to what is promised.
Customer interest as a result has been unenthusiastic. NBN Co may well need to take a massive write-down on its assets because they don’t look like they’re worth <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/nbn-write-down-inevitable-after-disastrous-rollout-says-ex-boss-20190204-p50vl7" target="_blank">A$50 billion</a>.
All of this was entirely predictable, based on politicians failing to remember three basic lessons from Economics 101.
1: Technology often outstrips imagination
The history of innovation is littered with examples of remarkably important things being invented with no clear purpose in mind, or by accident, and then exceeding our wildest expectations.
<a href="https://www.healio.com/endocrinology/news/print/endocrine-today/%7B15afd2a1-2084-4ca6-a4e6-7185f5c4cfb0%7D/penicillin-an-accidental-discovery-changed-the-course-of-medicine" target="_blank">Penicillin</a> and <a href="https://charlesgoodyear101.weebly.com/vulcanized-rubber" target="_blank">vulcanised rubber</a> (which led to the tyre for automobiles) were both invented by accident. The <a href="https://home.cern/science/computing/birth-web" target="_blank">world wide web</a> was developed as a means of communication among particle physicists. Most of us carry around in our pocket a computer (mobile phone) <a href="https://medium.com/@diego./cray-2-v-iphone-xs-fight-6f05b494efe1" target="_blank">roughly as powerful than the world’s faster supercomputer circa 1985</a>. Those have turned out to be pretty useful.
When the Coalition decided to scuttle Labor’s NBN plan for fibre-optic cable to every premises, on the basis that “fibre-to-the-node” and using existing copper telephone wires to the premises would be much cheaper, this is what the chief spruiker of the Coalition’s NBN plan, Malcolm Turnbull, <a href="https://www.arnnet.com.au/article/366036/turnbull_why_should_taxpayers_fund_43b_nbn_better_hd_video_streaming_/" target="_blank">said about broadband needs</a> in 2010:
"There isn’t much or anything you can do with 100 Mbps that you can’t do with 12 Mbps for residential customers."
The breathtaking lack of insight and imagination in this comment is responsible in no small part for the Flintstonian broadband infrastructure Australia now has.
Prioritising speed of roll-out (which hasn’t even happened) over speed of internet (which sure has happened) was a massive mistake.
2: Positives justify subsidies
You having fast internet is good for me when we connect. When consumers can connect quickly to a business’s website that’s good for the business. It makes it more profitable for businesses to invest in their internet operations. This has benefits for other consumers and even other businesses.
A great illustration of this is in Dunedin, New Zealand, where there have been all sorts of business-to-business spillovers from the city having the <a href="https://www.glimp.co.nz/blog/broadband/where-is-the-fastest-internet-in-nz" target="_blank">fastest internet speeds</a> in Australasia. The ABC’s <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/4corners/whats-wrong-with-the-nbn/9077900" target="_blank">Four Corners program</a> has highlighted how this has revolutionised New Zealand’s video-game development industry, among other things.
Economists call spillover effects to third parties externalities. Pollution is a negative externality, while the benefit of fast internet is a positive externality.
A sound business model for the NBN ought to recognise the positive externalities and ensure they are incorporated into the price mechanism, by offering a partial subsidy to encourage people to sign up. Like the reverse of a carbon price.
One of the NBN’s key problems is the way successive governments structured national investment in it. Setting up NBN Co as a quasi-corporate entity needing to make a commercial rate of return on the roughly A$50 billion investment in the network was a huge mistake. It was the opposite of providing a subsidy.
The telecommunications companies who retail the NBN have complained that NBN Co’s wholesale price points mean it is hard for resellers to make a profit. It’s a kind of quality death spiral: an unattractive product means fewer people buy it, leading to the product getting worse, leading to even fewer people buying it.
3: Uniform pricing doesn’t work
Finally, it’s never a good idea to charge everyone the same price when there are different costs to serve different people.
The idea was that higher returns from easy-to-service city homes would subsidise the higher costs of service homes in regional and remote areas. But city homes, precisely because they are cheaper to service, have other options. If not enough city customers signed up to the NBN, prices would be driven up, making the network even less attractive to city customers. It’s textbook <a href="https://www.economicshelp.org/blog/glossary/adverse-selection/" target="_blank">adverse selection</a>, just like in health-insurance markets.
The government tried to get around this by banning competition. But that’s never really possible, especially from technologies not yet invented. Like 5G. The 2010 business case assumed no more than 16% of households would go wireless. Oops.
As economic journalist <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/business/nbns-assumptions-just-dont-stack-up-20110628-1gp48" target="_blank">Peter Martin wrote</a> in 2011:
"NBN will never make a return on the cost of its capital or meet its customer targets if it faces competition. Its corporate plan says so, at point 1: 'The plan assumes effective regulatory protection to prevent opportunistic cherry picking […] the viability of the project is dependent upon this protection.'"
What to do from here
Multiple governments have bungled the NBN. But there is a way to salvage things – a bit.
Holding constant the technology (fibre-to-the-node), the best thing the government could do is write down its investment massively – ideally so low that it can flog NBN Co off to someone who can be subject to access regulation – ensuring, like other utilities, ownership of infrastructure doesn’t stymie competition – and make a modest rate of return.
Our super funds are always sticking up their hands for infrastructure investment. This would be a good one.
Ideally, though, the technology should be fixed. Fibre-to-the-premises was always going to be expensive, but it was also going to be fast, and as future-proof as we could get.
Lack of imagination and inability to think past 12 Mbps less than 10 years ago should not hold the nation back now.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/123750/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;">
Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW.
This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/vital-signs-nbns-new-price-plans-are-too-little-too-late-123750" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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rh-YsoTT2xMuQ

NBN’s new price plans are too little, too late: Richard Holden

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The announcement of the name of Japan’s new Imperial era has resulted in a boom in traffic for an Australian property group.
On Monday, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga announced that the country’s new Imperial era will be named Reiwa.
The announcement led to a surge in traffic to <a href="http://reiwa.com/" target="_blank">reiwa.com</a>, which is the website for The Real Estate Institute of Western Australia, also known as REIWA.
The Reiwa era will begin on 1 May 2019 with the term coming from an existing compilation of Japanese poetry and also represents fortune, peace and harmony.
REIWA CEO Neville Pozzi said 70% of traffic to reiwa.com today were Japanese people, mistaking the real estate portal for their country’s new imperial era.
Pozzi said the spike in attention from Japan could be an opportunity to lure foreign investment back into the state.
“REIWA is the number one trending hashtag on Twitter, and we even had comments on social media from Japanese people asking the bidding price of REIWA’s domain name,” he said.
“As an Institute, we want to embrace all of this traction and use it as an opportunity to entice migration and foreign investment back into our state in a fun and light-hearted way.”
“The Institute is making the most of its time in the social media spotlight, with hopes that this draws some much needed attention to the WA property market.”
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jonathanchancellor-7SQnKwU6yx

Announcement of Reiwa era sparks surge in internet traffic for WA property group 

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GUEST OBSERVATION
There’s little doubt the information technology revolution has improved our lives. But unless we find a new form of electronic technology that uses less energy, computing will become limited by an “energy crunch” within decades.
Even the most common events in our daily life – making a phone call, sending a text message or checking an email – use computing power. Some tasks, such as watching videos, require a lot of processing, and so consume a lot of energy.
Because of the energy required to power the massive, factory-sized data centres and networks that connect the internet, computing already <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214629618301051" target="_blank">consumes 5% of global electricity</a>. And that electricity load is doubling every decade.
Fortunately, there are new areas of physics that offer promise for massively reduced energy use.
The end of Moore’s Law
Humans have an insatiable demand for computing power.
Smartphones, for example, have become one of the most important devices of our lives. We use them to access weather forecasts, plot the best route through traffic, and watch the latest season of our favourite series.
And we expect our smartphones to become even more powerful in the future. We want them to translate language in real time, transport us to new locations via virtual reality, and connect us to the “Internet of Things”.
The computing required to make these features a reality doesn’t actually happen in our phones. Rather it’s enabled by a huge network of mobile phone towers, Wi-Fi networks and massive, factory-sized data centres known as “server farms”.
For the past five decades, our increasing need for computing was largely satisfied by incremental improvements in conventional, silicon-based computing technology: ever-smaller, ever-faster, ever-more efficient chips. We refer to this constant shrinking of silicon components as “Moore’s Law”.
Moore’s law is named after Intel co-founder Gordon Moore, who observed <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/mooreslaw.asp" target="_blank">that</a> "the number of transistors on a chip doubles every year while the costs are halved".
But as we hit limits of basic physics and economy, Moore’s law is winding down. We could see the end of efficiency gains using current, silicon-based technology as soon as 2020.
Our growing demand for computing capacity must be met with gains in computing efficiency, otherwise the information revolution will slow down from power hunger.
Achieving this sustainably means finding a new technology that uses less energy in computation. This is referred to as a “beyond CMOS” solution, in that it requires a radical shift from the silicon-based CMOS (complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor) technology that has been the backbone of computing for the last five decades.
Why does computing consume energy at all?
Processing of information takes energy. When using an electronic device to watch TV, listen to music, model the weather or any other task that requires information to be processed, there are millions and millions of binary calculations going on in the background. There are zeros and ones being flipped, added, multiplied and divided at incredible speeds.
The fact that a microprocessor can perform these calculations billions of times a second is exactly why computers have revolutionised our lives.
But information processing doesn’t come for free. Physics tells us that every time we perform an operation – for example, adding two numbers together – we must pay an energy cost.
And the cost of doing calculations isn’t the only energy cost of running a computer. In fact, anyone who has ever used a laptop balanced on their legs will attest that most of the energy gets converted to heat. This heat comes from the resistance that electricity meets when it flows through a material.
It is this wasted energy due to electrical resistance that researchers are hoping to minimise.
Recent advances point to solutions
Running a computer will always consume some energy, but we are a long way (several orders of magnitude) away from computers that are as efficient as the laws of physics allow. Several recent advances give us hope for entirely new solutions to this problem via new materials and new concepts.
Very thin materials
One recent step forward in physics and materials science is being able to build and control materials that are only one or a few atoms thick. When a material forms such a thin layer, and the movement of electrons is confined to this sheet, it is possible for electricity to flow without resistance.
There are a range of different materials that show this property (or might show it). Our research at the ARC Centre for Future Low-Energy Electronics Technologies (<a href="http://www.fleet.org.au/" target="_blank">FLEET</a>) is focused on studying these materials.
The study of shapes
There is also an exciting conceptual leap that helps us understand this property of electricity flow without resistance.
This idea comes from a branch of mathematics called “topology”. Topology tells us how to compare shapes: what makes them the same and what makes them different.
Image a coffee cup made from soft clay. You could slowly squish and squeeze this shape until it looks like a donut. The hole in the handle of the cup becomes the hole in the donut, and the rest of the cup gets squished to form part of the donut.
Topology tells us that donuts and coffee cups are equivalent because we can deform one into the other without cutting it, poking holes in it, or joining pieces together.
It turns out that the strange rules that govern how electricity flows in thin layers can be understood in terms of topology. This insight was the focus of the <a href="https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2016/press-release/" target="_blank">2016 Nobel Prize</a>, and it’s driving an enormous amount of current research in physics and engineering.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LV4uFHqdio4?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" frameborder="0" width="440" height="260"></iframe>
We want to take advantage of these new materials and insights to develop the next generation of low-energy electronics devices, which will be based on topological science to allow electricity to flow with minimal resistance.
This work creates the possibility of a sustainable continuation of the IT revolution – without the huge energy cost.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/106060/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;">
Daisy Wang, Postdoctoral Fellow, UNSW School of Physics, UNSW
Jared Cole, Professor of Physics, RMIT University
This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/computing-faces-an-energy-crunch-unless-new-technologies-are-found-106060" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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Computing faces an energy crunch unless new technologies are found

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GUEST OBSERVATION
The internet is transforming every aspect of our lives. It has become indispensable. But, so far, according to <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/joes.12211" target="_blank">a new meta-analysis we have published in the Journal of Economic Surveys</a>, the internet has done next to nothing for economic growth.
Vast resources have been thrown at information and communication technologies. Yet despite exponential growth in ICT and its integration into almost all aspects of our lives, economic growth is not demonstrably faster (and at the moment is demonstrably slower) than it was beforehand.
As Nobel Prize-winning economist Robert Solow famously put it, “you can see the computer age everywhere but in the productivity statistics.”
This productivity paradox has caused angst and raised questions about whether the trillions invested in ICT could have been better invested elsewhere.
Our study of studies
We reassessed ICT through a meta-analysis of 59 econometric studies incorporating 466 different observations in both developed and developing countries. We divided ICT into three categories: computing, mobile and landline telephone connections, and the internet. For developed countries, we found that computing had had a moderate impact on growth. Mobile and landline telephone technologies also had a small effect.
But the internet has had no effect, at least not as far as can be ascertained from the research to date.
The promise not yet delivered
Ever since the Industrial Revolution, innovation and technological change have driven rising productivity and economic growth.
Information and communications technologies ought to follow in those footsteps.
Instead, productivity growth in US manufacturing has <a href="https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2018/article/multifactor-productivity-slowdown-in-us-manufacturing.htm" target="_blank">slid</a> from 2% per year between 1992 to 2004 to minus 0.3% per year between 2005 and 2016.
Where ICT innovations <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.jstor.org/stable/20777587?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents" target="_blank">do lead to an increase in productivity</a>, it’s often a one-off boost rather than an <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://press.princeton.edu/titles/10544" target="_blank">ongoing increase year after year</a>.
Where the internet sends us backwards
More disquieting, there is some evidence suggesting that rather than contributing to economic performance, some parts of ICT can harm it.
The internet can be an enabler of <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/202162/the-procrastination-equation-by-piers-steel/9780307357175" target="_blank">procrastination</a>. Cyberslacking can take up to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563211000604" target="_blank">three hours of work a day</a>.
It isn’t all bad. Many of us get a lot of joy from catching up on social media and watching dog and cat videos. But if everyone is distracted by it, little gets done.
The internet has also enabled greater flexibility in work, another plus. But if it contributes little to economic growth, it is worth asking whether our economic managers should continue to fund its expansion.
No saviour for developing nations
For developing countries, generating economic growth is pressing because resources are scarce. ICT has been <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/2422" target="_blank">held out as a saviour</a>.
Yet, it has almost always been found that more obvious innovations, such as running water, <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://press.princeton.edu/titles/10544" target="_blank">electricity</a>, and primary education for girls, have bigger payoffs.
Our own findings show that developing countries benefit from landline and mobile phone technologies but not at all from computing, at least not yet. ICT might need to reach a <a href="http://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199548798.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780199548798-e-005" target="_blank">critical size</a> before its effects matter.
But maybe later, down the track
The time it takes for ICT investment to generate economic growth might be longer than expected, and it might need to reach an even bigger critical mass before that happens.
But it’s hard to avoid the conclusion that, for the immediate future, growth will continue to depend upon more traditional sources: trade between nations, education, new ideas, the rule of law, sound political institutions, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/dont-listen-to-the-rich-inequality-is-bad-for-everyone-81952" target="_blank">curtailing inequality</a>.
Unfortunately, these are under threat from growing nationalism and protectionism in the United States and elsewhere. The evidence to date suggests that we would be better off fighting those threats than investing still more in an information technology revolution that has yet to deliver.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/105294/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;">
Chris Doucouliagos, Professor of Economics, Department of Economics, Deakin Business School, Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University
Tom Stanley, Professor of Meta-Analysis, Deakin University
This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-internet-has-done-a-lot-but-so-far-little-for-economic-growth-105294" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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The internet has done a lot, but so far little for economic growth

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Will Australia’s National Broadband Network (NBN) face damaging competition from the upcoming 5G network? NBN Co CEO Bill Morrow <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/slug-mobile-internet-connections-or-pay-us-more-nbn-chief-bill-morrow-warns-20171022-gz5p87" target="_blank">thinks so</a>.
This week, he even floated the idea of a levy on mobile broadband services, although Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/malcolm-turnbull-says-the-nbn-was-a-mistake-and-may-never-make-money-20171022-gz63yo" target="_blank">quickly rejected</a> the idea.
NBN Co is clearly going to have to compete with mobile broadband on an equal footing.
This latest episode in the <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/nbn-127" target="_blank">NBN saga</a> raises the question of exactly what 5G will offer broadband customers, and how it will sit alongside the fixed NBN network.
To understand how 5G could compare with the NBN, let’s examine the key differences and similarities between mobile networks and fixed-line broadband.
<h2>What is 5G?</h2>
5G stands for “<a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-5g-38489" target="_blank">5th generation mobile</a>”. It builds upon today’s 4G mobile network technology, but promises to offer higher peak connection speeds and lower latency, or time delays.
5G’s higher connection speeds will be possible thanks to improved radio technologies, increased allocations of radio spectrum, and by using many more antenna sites or base stations than today’s networks. Each antenna will serve a smaller area, or cell.
The technical details of 5G are currently under negotiation in international standards bodies. 5G networks should be available in Australia by 2020, although regulatory changes <a href="https://www.zdnet.com/article/australia-facing-urgency-on-5g-spectrum-bands-amta/" target="_blank">are still needed</a>.
<h2>Connections on 5G</h2>
In a mobile network, the user’s device (typically a smart phone) communicates with a nearby wireless base station via a radio link. All users connected to that base station share its available data capacity.
Australia’s mobile network typically provides <a href="https://opensignal.com/reports/2017/02/global-state-of-the-mobile-network" target="_blank">download speeds</a> of around 20 Mb/s. But the actual speed of connection for an individual decreases as the number of users increases. This effect is known as contention.
Anyone who has tried to upload a photo to Facebook from the Melbourne Cricket Ground will have experienced this.
The maximum download speed of 5G networks could be more than 1 Gb/s. But in practice, it will <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-5g-38489" target="_blank">likely provide</a> download speeds around 100 Mb/s or higher.
Because of contention and the high cost of the infrastructure, mobile network operators also impose significant data download limits for 4G. It is not yet clear what level of data caps will apply in 5G networks.
<h2>Connections on the NBN</h2>
In a fixed-line network like the NBN, the user typically connects to the local telephone exchange via optical fibre. Directly, in the case of fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP), or by copper wiring and then fibre, in fibre-to-the-node (FTTN).
An important difference between the NBN and a mobile network is that on the NBN, there is virtually no contention on the data path between the user and the telephone exchange. In other words, the user’s experience is almost independent of how many other users are online.
But, as highlighted in the recent public debate around the NBN, some users <a href="https://theconversation.com/when-it-comes-to-the-nbn-we-keep-having-the-same-conversations-over-and-over-85078" target="_blank">have complained</a> that NBN speeds decrease at peak usage times.
Importantly, this is not a fundamental issue of the NBN technology. Rather, it is caused by artificial throttling thanks to the NBN Co’s Connectivity Virtual Circuit (CVC) charges, and/or by contention in the retail service provider’s network.
Retail service providers like TPG pay CVC charges to NBN Co to gain bandwidth into the NBN. These charges are <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-01/telcos-cry-foul-over-controversial-nbn-charge-for-bandwidth/8762404" target="_blank">currently quite high</a>, and this has allegedly encouraged some service providers to skimp on bandwidth, leading to contention.
A restructuring of the wholesale model as well as providing adequate bandwidth in NBN Co’s transit network <a href="https://www.telecomtimes.com.au/single-post/2017/09/06/How-to-fix-the-NBN-pricing-model-Rod-Tucker-John-de-Ridder" target="_blank">could easily eliminate</a> artificial throttling.
The amount of data allowed by retailers per month is also generally much higher on the NBN than in mobile networks. It is often unlimited.
This will always be a key difference between the NBN and 5G.
<h2>Don’t forget, 5G needs backhaul</h2>
In wireless networks, the connection between the base stations and internet is known as backhaul.
Today’s 4G networks often use microwave links for backhaul, but in 5G networks where the quantity of data to be transferred will be higher, the backhaul will necessarily be optical fibre.
In the US and elsewhere, a number of broadband service providers <a href="https://www.fiercetelecom.com/telecom/report-2b-to-be-spent-5g-backhaul-by-2022-ng-pon2-to-dominate" target="_blank">are planning</a> to build 5G backhaul networks using passive optical network (PON) technology. This is the type used in the NBN’s FTTP sections.
In fact, this could be a new revenue opportunity for NBN Co. It could encourage the company to move back to FTTP in certain high-population density areas where large numbers of small-cell 5G base stations are required.
<h2>So, will 5G Compete with the NBN?</h2>
There is a great deal of excitement about the opportunities 5G will provide. But its full capacity will only be achieved through very large investments in infrastructure.
Like today’s 4G network, large data downloads for video streaming and other bandwidth-hungry applications will likely be more expensive using 5G than using the NBN.
In addition, future upgrades to the FTTP sections of the NBN <a href="https://www.nbnco.com.au/blog/industry/gpon-vs-ng-pon2" target="_blank">will accommodate</a> download speeds as high as 10 Gb/s, which will not be achievable with 5G.
Unfortunately, those customers served by FTTN will not enjoy these higher speeds because of the limitations of the copper connections between the node and the premises.
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/86216/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1">5G will provide convenient broadband access for some internet users. But as the demand for ultra-high-definition video streaming and new applications such as virtual reality grow, the NBN will remain the network of choice for most customers, especially those with FTTP services.
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rod-tucker-2000" target="_blank">Rod Tucker</a>, Laureate Emeritus Professor, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-melbourne-722" target="_blank">University of Melbourne</a>
This article was originally published on <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/5g-will-be-a-convenient-but-expensive-alternative-to-the-nbn-86216" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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rt-r6zPRp3Aen

5G will be a convenient but expensive alternative to the NBN

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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/77780/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1">
GUEST OBSERVER
Eight years into the Australian government’s National Broadband Network (NBN) project, the nation has an average internet speed – 50th in the global rankings – that lags well behind many advanced economy countries. 
Ongoing secrecy around the NBN, a project that’s likely to cost more than A$50 billion, makes it impossible for the public in most cases to know when and what quality service they will receive. Further, new research shows the NBN rollout was politically motivated and socioeconomically biased from the beginning. 
It is perhaps time to remind ourselves of the ups and downs of the project that was once announced as a dream national infrastructure project for the 21st century. This requires a ten-year journey back in time, before we can figure out what needs to be done next.
The ups
In November 2007, after 11 years of Coalition government, Labor was elected on a policy platform that promised a national broadband network. 
The NBN company was announced in April 2009 to provide terrestrial fibre network coverage for 93 percent of Australian premises by the end of 2020. Fixed wireless and satellite coverage would serve the remaining 7 percent. 
Looking back, it’s hard to deny the influence the NBN has had on Australian politics. Perhaps the peak influence was when three independent MPs cited the NBN as one of the key reasons why they supported a Labor government over the Coalition when the 2010 federal election produced a hung parliament. 
The final 60 early NBN rollout locations were then announced. The plan was for the first stage of the large-scale rollout to follow, connecting 3.5 million premises in 1,500 communities by mid-2015.
The downs
The early NBN rollout experienced significant delays. This attracted a great deal of “overwhelmingly negative” media coverage. Public opinion polls reflected growing dissatisfaction with the national project. 
This dissatisfaction and the September 2013 federal election result changed the fate of the NBN. In 2013, the new Coalition government suspended the first stage of the large-scale fibre-to-premises NBN rollout to reassess the scale of the project. 
In 2014, the government announced that the NBN rollout would change from a primarily fibre-to-premises model to a multi-technology-mix model. The technology to be used would be determined on an area-by-area basis.
This change of direction resulted in a prolonged state of uncertainty at the local government level. As it was rolled out, the NBN was widely criticised for being slow, expensive and obsolete.
Current state of play
Delays continue in the construction of the Coalition’s NBN. What can only be described as a downgrade of the original national project is now seriously over budget. 
In September 2016, a joint standing committee of parliament was established to inquire into the NBN rollout. The inquiry is continuing.
The bleak status quo only gets worse when the on-the-ground reality of the NBN rollout is considered. While fibre-to-premises rollout is supposed to be limited in the Coalition’s NBN, disturbing examples of misconduct in the NBN installations are highly concerning. 
The image below shows one example of many in which heritage-listed buildings (in this case also public housing) are disrespected to the point that suggests an absolute lack of communication between NBN contractors, local government, or heritage agencies.
<img src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/files/171251/width754/file-20170529-6367-ez3j2i.JPG" alt="">
<div class="enlarge_hint">
One heritage-listed house with two NBN installations (Judge Street, Woolloomooloo, NSW). Image: Stacey Miers, Author provided
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Who misses out?
In the Coalition’s NBN, the provision of universal high-speed capacity – as envisioned in the original NBN – has been transformed into a patchwork of final speeds and different quality of service. This leads to an important question about equity. It also puts the 60 early rollout locations in the spotlight as these could potentially be the only ones across the nation that enjoy fibre-to-premises NBN.
My new research points to the political motivations in the selection of these lucky 60 sites. Voting patterns in these locations were compared with all electorates in the federal elections from 2007 to 2013. The analysis shows the selections were skewed for potential political gain.
ALP-held seats were the main beneficiaries of the early NBN rollout; safe Coalition-held seats were the least likely to receive the infrastructure. 
Tony Windsor, one of the three influential independent MPs in 2010, famously said of the NBN:
Do it once, do it right, and do it with fibre. 
He secured priority access for his regional electorate to the early NBN. 
However, most regional localities were not that lucky. Indeed, research on the sociospatial distribution of the early NBN rollout shows the limited share of regional Australia.
What to do?
It is convenient to blame one political party for the state of chaos that the NBN is in right now. However, politicisation of the project has been part of the problem since day one. 
Instead, we call for telecommunication infrastructure to be considered for what it really is: the backbone of the fast-growing digital economy; the foundation for innovation in the age of smart cities and big data; and a key pillar of social equity and spatial justice.
In reality, however, in the age of big data and open data, the lack of transparency around the NBN is shocking. In evidence to the parliamentary committee inquiry in March 2017, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission expressed concern about the lack of transparency on NBN performance. 
Policing the leaks of NBN data is not going to clean up the mess. Quite the opposite: the Australian government needs to share the NBN data, so the exact nature and scale of the problems can be determined. Only then can we talk about finding a way forward in this long journey.
Tooran Alizadeh is senior lecturer, Director of Urban Design, University of Sydney and author for The Conversation. She can be contacted <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/tooran-alizadeh-377838" target="_blank">here</a>.
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

The NBN: how a national infrastructure dream fell short

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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/75780/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1">
GUEST OBSERVER
ABS figures show that Australia's appetite for faster broadband is growing apace.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics’ latest figures on internet activity in Australia show a huge jump in the number of people with advertised speeds of greater than 24 Mbps (that’s megabits per second, a measure of data transfer speed).
That trend is significant because it suggests that Australia’s appetite for faster broadband is growing apace, and that the NBN may be helping to drive adoption of higher speed internet.
Starting from Dec 2014, the number of subscribers in Australia with internet advertised as being capable of 24 Mbps or greater rose from 2.3 million to 7.8 million. Or, expressed another way, from 19% of all internet subscribers to 58 eprcent of all subscribers.
(It’s worth noting that the growth is in people who have signed up to packages that advertised internet speeds capable of reaching 24 Mbps. That’s not to say that speed is actually delivered all of the time; there is variation and one doesn’t always get the advertised speeds.)
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/images/2017/04/13/Untitled-1.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a>
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2017/04/13/Untitled-1.jpg" width="700" height="471">
<div class="dw-chart-notes">ABS data show that by 2016, about 58% of all internet subscribers in Australia had internet advertised of being capable of 24 Mbps or higher. Dotted lines signify interpolation between values where data is missing.</div>
<div class="dw-chart-notes">Source: ABS Cat 8153.0 Internet Activity and NBN Co Strategic Review Report 2015</div>
<div class="dw-chart-notes"> </div>
<div class="dw-chart-notes">
This increase is due, in part, to the roll-out of the national broadband network (NBN) and access to broadband at higher speeds – but that’s not the whole story.
True, the number of NBN subscribers over the same period rose rapidly from 322,000 to 1.7 million but that doesn’t explain the other 5.5 million subscribers who moved to faster broadband in that time.
Looking at the types of connection, there was an increase in the number of subscribers using internet delivered by fibre and fixed wireless. This tallies with what NBN data show.
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/images/2017/04/13/Untitled-2.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a>
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2017/04/13/Untitled-2.jpg" width="700" height="394">
The number of fibre connections increased to more than 1.4 million connections, which is an increase of 122% in the year between December 2015 and December 2016.
Source: ABS Cat 8153.0, Internet Activity,
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It’s likely that with the advent of the NBN and its standardised speed tiers, internet service providers started offering services that were on a par or better than those being offered on the NBN. Competition may be at work, and the technology itself is improving.
However, data reported by cloud computing services firm Akamai in their State of the Internet reports – frequently cited by the press – showed Australia’s broadband to be woefully behind most other developed countries.
Indeed, in the same time that Australia saw a huge increase in subscribers on internet speeds of 24 Mbps and above, Akamai was reporting that average internet download speeds had increased by a mere 27%, an increase to an underwhelming 10.1 Mbps. That puts Australia down the list in terms of average speeds.
With ABS data showing that 58% of the population is now on plans capable of delivering speeds of 24 Mbps and above, such a paltry rise in the average internet speed is somewhat surprising.
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/images/2017/04/13/Untitled-3.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a>
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2017/04/13/Untitled-3.jpg" width="700" height="437">
Dotted lines signify interpolation between values where data is missing.
Source: Akamai State of the Internet Report
It is, of course, possible that the advertised speeds of Australian internet plans are, too often, misrepresenting the true speeds available.
The way that Akamai calculates its figures is not spelled out in its report – it says that it “includes data gathered from across the Akamai Intelligent Platform”. So perhaps it would be wise to take claims about Australia’s rank in the world on internet speeds with a hefty grain of salt. Things may be better than we are being told.
More data is needed to make sense of the impact of the shift of subscribers to higher speed internet. Projects like the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s plan to “test and report on the typical speed and performance of broadband plans provided over the NBN” will help build a more accurate picture.
 
David Glance is the Director of the UWA Centre for Software Practice, a UWA research and development centre and author for The Conversation. He can be contacted <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/david-glance-148" target="_blank">here.</a>
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Three charts on Australia’s growing appetite for fast broadband: David Glance

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Garrett Camp, co-founder of the revolutionary online transportation network, Uber has unveiled a new digital platform that is his foray into residential buying and selling.
The platform is called <a href="https://haus.com/" target="_blank">Haus</a>.
Commentary from the Inman website says it’s not trying to compete with the Zillows and realtor.coms in online home search.
Rather, Haus’s main purpose is to digitize the offer submission and acceptance process.
<a href="https://techcrunch.com/2016/07/28/uber-cofounder-launches-new-real-estate-venture-for-expa-called-haus/" target="_blank">TechCrunch</a> reported the platform lets “sellers put their listing on the platform, where buyers and their agents can both post their offers, amend them, and see an anonymized version of other offers that have been made on the property.”
Haus is only available in California.
With homeowners and buyers able to see the offers, Haus is also touting more transparency in the sales process.
The information available to potential buyers about a listing on Haus includes the terms of the offer in addition to the price.
The Names remain confidential.
“We think the openness will create a more efficient market and that the number of offers and price will ultimately be dependent on demand,” Haus GM Sarah Ham told TechCrunch.
“Bidding wars are a common, almost accepted, part of the real estate process today. But with our approach, buyers know where they stand.
"Buyers will know what they need to offer to make their offer competitive, but they also won’t negotiate against themselves.”
Camp told TechCrunch that “collecting offers and presenting them is a very manual process, the way that town car companies would pick up a phone, write the fare on the board, and send the next available driver to that location.
“It just seems much more efficient for agents to use a platform to coordinate all of this information automatically.”
Currently, Haus is free, but the company may start charging through the broker’s fee once it figures out how to add value to the negotiation process.
The project falls under Expa Studios, of which Camp is CEO.
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Uber enters the real estate world

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ASX-listed Spirit Telecom Limited said it has launched its superfast Internet product Spirit 400 in Melbourne apartment development Freshwater Place, a first in Australia.
With 240 of the 530 apartments already Spirit customers with access to plans of up to 100/100Mbps, the Internet service provider has now upgraded the speed to include both the 200/200Mbps and the superfast 400/400Mbps plans.
Situated on the banks of the Yarra River, opposite the Melbourne CBD, Freshwater Place includes both residential and short-stay accommodation.
Managing director of Spirit Telecom, Geoff Neate, said, “Freshwater Place was one of our first residential buildings to have our Ultra-Fast ‘UFI’ product, back in 2013. They were at the forefront then and they have now been upgraded to enable us to launch a 400/400 product, leapfrogging the market yet again."
Spirit specialises in fibre-based broadband services.
“Since we first enabled Freshwater we have seen the market's appetite for superfast Internet surge, with the growth of phones and tablets streaming music video and catch-up TV to multiple devices at any given time.
“Trends around the world tell us that people want more from their Internet. For example, countries like Japan offer speeds up to 2Gbps," he said.
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